The G.A. Henty MEGAPACK ®. G.a. Henty Henty
extraordinary scene presented itself to his eyes directly they got accustomed to the gloom.
Seated at a table, some upright, others with their heads sunk in their folded arms, which rested on the table, were the shrunken bodies of a dozen or more men.
So life-like were they that not until he had summoned up courage to touch one did Bob believe them dead.
Some empty bottles, and a cup or two, stood on the table.
They might have dropped to sleep after a carouse.
If they had it was the sleep of death.
Remembering his promise, Bob looked around for a chair.
Not seeing one unoccupied, he was obliged to lift up one of the bodies and lay it on a locker.
Within another locker was found a length of stout rope, which seemed uninjured, and, accompanied by Bok, he repaired on deck and hastened to the side.
The chair was soon rigged, and Mrs. Cromwell and Viola were hauled on board.
To prepare them for the ghastly sight, our hero told them and Jack what they would see.
Opening a door at the bulkhead, Captain Sumner, closely followed by the two lads and the others, stepped into a narrow passage, which had berths on each side.
Passing through a second door they came into a square room, in which was built a clay and stone fireplace.
The captain stopped short.
A fire smoldered on the hearth.
“Hullo!” cried the captain. “Someone still lives!”
“Yonder lies the body of a man!” exclaimed Viola, who had crept to Bob’s side and taken his arm between her hands.
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. “We must be glad that we have arrived in time, if indeed we have.”
The captain and Bob advanced to the prostrate man’s side.
He was lying on a rug of seals’ skins, with another pulled over him, under which was a blanket.
“He lives!” cried the captain, placing his hand over the heart of the unconscious man.
After a minute a faint color mantled his white cheek and he heaved a long sigh.
Presently the eyelids trembled, and a moment later he opened them.
They rested on the captain, who was stooping over him.
A look of surprise came into them, but they almost immediately closed again.
A dose of hot brandy was given.
This time he recovered considerably, and looked round him inquiringly.
“You will do now, my man,” cried the captain encouragingly. “Try him with the food,” he added.
Mrs. Cromwell brought the roughly minced meat and soddened bread and placed a spoonful in the sufferer’s mouth.
He swallowed it eagerly.
After he had taken some half-dozen spoonfuls he turned his head on the pillow and fell asleep.
“He will be all right now,” whispered the captain. “But someone must stay with him while we ransack the ship.”
A second door led forward, and, leaving the watchers, the rest of the party passed through it.
Forward was found a number of great casks, such as are used to receive the blubber cut from the whale.
“She is a whaler, evidently,” exclaimed the captain.
In the forecastle there was nothing except some hammocks and a chest or two.
“We can get warmer clothing than what we possess, anyhow,” remarked the captain. “Now, what’s the best thing to do?”
“We can carry the man back in a hammock,” suggested one. “I doubt it,” replied the captain. “What I propose is that some of us stay the night with him, and we will return in the morning, by which time he will be much stronger.”
On their return to the square room, Bob and Jack volunteered to remain.
This done, Bok was delegated to bring them some supper.
On arriving Bok first fastened to the rope the package he had brought, which was drawn on board, and then the rope was lowered again.
“Be jabers! but it’s cold, it is,” he cried. “If I might be so bold, I would jist suggest that we should go down below. How is the dead man?”
“He isn’t dead yet,” replied Bob, laughing. “But he is sleeping still. I hope you have brought something good for him.”
“Good, is it? There’s a tin of soup, and another of salmon, besides a piece of seal, that Leeks shot while we were away.
“Then there is a bottle of wine—that’s for yerselves and the sick man—and half a bottle of good rum, which I hope I may have my share in.
“Faith, there is enough to make us as merry and comfortable as if we were waking the dead man below there.”
CHAPTER VI
The Madman
Taking the things with them, they hastily descended the companionway.
It was not without a shudder that they passed the many bodies.
As they were preparing supper they noticed the sick man stirring.
“Who are you?” he suddenly muttered.
“We are Americans, like yourself,” replied Bob. “Here, have something to eat?”
The man’s eyes glistened.
“Give it me—quick!” he exclaimed, in a hoarse voice.
Jack, who had warmed some of the soup, brought it in a basin he had found, with a spoon and a piece of bread.
Bob took it from him and fed the invalid slowly.
“More,” cried the latter, when it was finished.
“Not yet,” replied our hero. “Have a doze, and you shall have as much as you want next time.”
Giving him a glass of wine, they left him, and in a few minutes his regular breathing showed that he slept again.
By this time the joint of seal was roasted, and the little party of three sat down together.
“What can that noise come from?” exclaimed our hero, as he stayed his fork halfway to his mouth to listen.
“I heard it once or twice before,” returned Jack, “but thought it rats.”
“Faith, but I hope there’s no ghosts here,” cried Bok. “Heaven stand between us and harm.”
“Bah! don’t be foolish. It’s rats, sure enough.”
It was not long after this that the sick man sat up to partake of more food.
This done, he told his story.
He said he belonged to the whaler, Cross of Gold, which had been caught in a large icepack.
“This pack we attempted to cross,” continued the sailor, “by dragging our boats over rollers we had brought with us.
“On the third day, however, a snow-storm set in, and continued for hours.
“Knowing as how time was valuable, after a rest, we tried to make our way through the drifting snow.
“But, after toiling for a long while, we found ourselves back where we started from.
“The captain, I and one or two others wanted to try again, but the rest outvoted us.
“We, therefore, tried to turn the pack by coasting along it, but, although we ran over a hundred